Serving Our Seniors Magazine April - June 2025

• ROOFING • SIDING • WINDOWS • DOORS • GUTTERS • 12 Months Same as Cash • Full Financing • Lifetime Warranties • Bonded & Insured • Insurance Specialists FREE ESTIMATES! Premier Roofing & Siding Locally Owned INSURANCE SPECIALISTS! 419.357.2731 1608 Sycamore Line • Sandusky, Ohio 1 Day Installation • Full Financing Lifetime Warranty Roofing • Vinyl Siding • Gutters Most Energy Efficient Premium Windows C ustom W indow & Door Co. Locally Owned and Operated Celebrating Our 45th Anniversary FREE ESTIMATES 419-625-7009 www.customwindowinc.com Erie County Financial Elder Abuse Investigator, Dan McLaughlin, describes Bitcoin ATM machines as “criminal tools.” He would like to see the state of Ohio regulate Bitcoin ATM machines so they have to be used in the lobby of a bank. “There is no legitimate reason any Erie County senior citizen needs to use Bitcoin to transact business. If you are told to pay someone in Bitcoin, you are being scammed.” This argument is hard to refute. NBC News recently reported how affluent older adults in Beaufort County, South Carolina have lost $3.1 million dollars to Bitcoin ATM machines. Lt. Eric Caledine, Beaufort County Sheriff’s office, reportedly, told an audience of retirees, “It’s easier to take your money than to rob a bank.” The tactics used to convince senior citizens to pay up in bitcoin are: Pop-up messages on computer screens telling the older person to call a number. They are then told to pay in Bitcoin to fix the computer problem; telephone calls impersonating “the court” or “law enforcement” stating that there is a “warrant” out for their arrest for missing jury duty and to pay in Bitcoin; or threatening phone calls from IRS impersonators, stating back taxes are owed and to pay in Bitcoin. In this story, the most egregious was a cryptocurrency scam that led the retired couple to believe that they were “protecting” their savings by depositing it into a Bitcoin ATM machine. They lost $390,000.00. Cryptocurrency Scams Target Senior Citizens DON’T EVER USE A CRYPTOCURRENCY MACHINE. 19